City to revive dormant aircraft carrier attraction

A commercial building shaped like an aircraft carrier in Binzhou, Shandong province, which is backed by 120 million yuan ($19.6 million) in government money, has been dormant for the past four years, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The cement building was built in a city reservoir and designed to be a tourist attraction, with accommodations, restaurants and entertainment outlets. Construction on the project began in 2003 and was completed two years later.

Xinhua reported that the tourist venue flourished in its first two years but soon thereafter saw a drop in popularity. Operations were shut down in 2009.

The government department responsible for the venue believed it had operational difficulties. The city government has been trying to revive the commercial complex with a new promotional campaign.